The Value of the Hard Thing

May 22, 2018

I’m a believer in doing the hard thing. If there are two options and one of them is harder than the other, I’ll often (but not always) take the harder option. Right now I’m in the midst of intense training for a GORUCK Tough event. I’m in week two of a ten-week course designed to get me ready for the event. Here was today’s workout:

100 squats while holding the ruck (30+ pounds) overhead

100 4-count flutter kicks while holding the ruck overhead

100 ruck curls (holding the ruck in front of me, doing bicep curls)

100 mountain climbers (killer ab workout while wearing the ruck)

I’m not sharing this to impress anyone with my fitness routine. I struggled through it at best. I’m sharing this because a month ago I would have told you I couldn’t do this workout.

That’s the value of the hard thing, we do it, and then we know we can. We also know we can do more, and more, and more. The value of doing the hard thing is that when we complete it we realize that we could do it, and it expands the limitations that our minds place on us. Now that I know I can do 100 of each of those exercises, I fully believe I can do 150. And, later, when I push myself to 150, I’ll conclude I can do 200.

In pushing our limits, our limiting beliefs fall away, giving us a glimpse of our full potential. That’s the value of the hard thing.